Gurjar stir hits rail traffic, trains diverted

Gurjars led by Kirori Singh Bainsla have occupied railway tracks in Bharatpur districts.

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Headlines Today Bureau

Bharatpur | Jaipur

December 21, 2010

UPDATED: December 21, 2010 11:04 IST

Thousands of railway passengers were stranded at various stations, especially on the Kota-Mathura line as the Gurjar community in Rajasthan revived its agitation on Monday demanding 5 per cent quota in government jobs and educational institutes.

A section led by community leader Kirori Singh Bainsla, blocked the Delhi-Mumbai rail route in Bharatpur. Bainsla accused the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in the state of not keeping its promise.

Bainsla has been adamant on continuing the agitation till the community's reservation demand was met. He remains unrepentant about causing hardships to railway passengers by blocking rail traffic. Bainsla told Headlines Today that the Gurjars were forced to revive their agitation because the state government had gone back on its promise.

"We have occupied rail tracks near Pilukapura area and will move only after the government fulfils our demands. I have directed my people to begin the agitation across the state and will call off only after the state government fulfils our demands of five per cent reservation, withdrawal of cases against Gurjar agitators and their release from jail," Bainsla said assuring that the agitation would be peaceful.

Trains disrupted, diverted On the first day of the agitation on Monday, the protestors virtually paralysed rail traffic in Rajasthan harassing passengers and commuters in Kota.

They also went on the rampage near Bayana in Bharatpur blocking arterial rail lines. That brought back memories of the Gurjar agitation under the Vasundhara Raje regime when 70 people had died in police firing.

Even on Tuesday, around 200 Gurjar agitators blocked the rail line at Bharatpur.

Several trains were diverted or cancelled due to the agitation. Western Railway has been the most affected and the authorities have halted train movement in the area due to security reasons leaving many passengers stranded overnight at different stations across the western line.

The Western Railway on Tuesday diverted several trains following the Gurjar agitation in the state. Some of the diverted trains included Bandra-Jammutawi, Mumbai Central Ferozpur, Ahmedabad-Patna, Bandra-Amritsar and Golden Temple Mail.

Gurjars adamant on quota The agitating Gurjars are in no mood to relent till their demands were met. What has peeved the Gurjars is that the government has announced one lakh jobs but the Gurjars would be deprived of the 5 per cent quota they have been demanding.

"We want reservation. They have to fulfil their promise of 5 per cent reservation. We will not move from here till our demands are met. None of our earlier demands were met. They have not withdrawn the cases, neither are we given jobs. Those who were injured have not received any compensation. Promises were made of 5 per cent reservation in SC/ST category in the state, but they have not done anything about it," said a Gurjar protester in Bharatpur.

- With agency inputs

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